Ever Falling, Never Ceasing
by alchemic-rose
Summary: Whilst fleeing from assailants, Dave and Jade fall into an a black abyss which ends up being a portal to the the fantastical world of Mirabili. The domain is in the midst of a civil war, and the two are dragged into the heart when one of them is captured by the opposing forces. Time is of the essence when a life, and the fate of a world hangs in a delicate balance. Multi-pairing AU
1. Chapter 1

"DAAAAAAAAVE!"

His name screeched from her throat as she clung for her life onto the railing, feet dangling above what seemed an endless abyss. She managed to grab the railing as she was flung. The muscles in her arm strained as tried to pull herself up, only to have her grip slip. She screamed in fright, her heart pounding, and she felt adrenaline running like fire through her veins.

"Don't move!"

He shouted as he cut down foes, struggling to make it to her. He was bleeding heavily from a gash on his forehead, blinding him on his right side. He felt a blow hit him from his blind side, causing him to stagger. He saw stars for a brief moment as he spun, cutting down the assailant and kicking aside another. He brought his gaze up to see Jade clinging to the narrow catwalk rails. Her green eyes were wide, filled with the fear of death, but still intense with inner strength...she trusted he would get to her in time. Dave turned from her as another enemy came at him from the left.

_"__Damn it!"_

The amount of enemies seemed endless, but he was the only thing between the writhing mass of devils and Jade. Her breaths came in gasps and she whimpered as she felt the burn of muscles straining out of place. She felt her hands slipping, palms sweaty. After slashing and fighting for what seemed hours more, Dave pushed the last assailant over the railing of the catwalk.

Now he had his break.

Quickly sheathing his sword, he threw himself onto his stomach and reached his arms out over the edge, grasping her upper arms. He had her. She latched onto his arms as tears of relief ran down her face.

_"__He's got me, he's got me, he's got me…"_

Straining, he slowly pulled her up from dangling over the black abyss, onto the rickety catwalk. She swung a leg up and over a bar, pushing the rest of her body up as he pulled her arms. Finally, she rolled onto the platform, her forehead pressing into the grating as she gasped in relief to be on solid ground. Dave collapsed beside her on his back, a dizzy spell from the physical strain and his blood loss catching up to him. Sweat ran down his temple, his hair sticking to his face as he lay there catching his breath. The dizziness gradually left him, a throbbing in his head taking its place, and he rolled over. He winced, gritting his teeth as he brought a leg up under him. Looking towards Jade, he saw her lying face down, still catching her breath.

Suddenly the platform gave a jolt, creaking horribly, then shuddered as one end was ripped from the rock wall. Bodies fell from the platform as Jade and Dave tumbled along the falling catwalk, crashing into each other as the angle grew steeper and steeper. Thinking quickly Dave looked towards Jade and swung his arm out, catching and gripping onto her arm amidst the chaos of their tumbling. They were falling now, and Jade flung out her arm in desperation, and managed to catch onto a railing, their downward progress suddenly halted. She screamed in pain as she felt her arm dislocate from the force of their fall, but she held on. They hung suspended over the black pit as rocks and debris continued to fall around them. Tears pricked and streaked down her face again from the pain in her arm as she clutched onto the thin railing for dear life, gripping Dave's arm in her other hand. His hand clung onto her arm, locking their hold, a slight tremor vibrated through his wrist and fingers. They hung, swinging for a few heartbeats before Dave uttered.

"Harley, let me go."

She looked down at Dave in horror.

"What?"

"Let me go."

"No! Dave no! I won't!"

"You can't hold me for long. I'm too heavy. We'll both fall."

"No, no, no! I can do it! We will both make it!" Her cries were exasperated, desperate.

"Just try and reach the other bar! You can do it! I won't-"

"Jade!" He interrupted her desperate pleas.

She looked down at him again, silent besides her pained gasps.

"Jade…" He spoke softly. "Just let me go."

"No, no, no, no…"

"I don't want you sacrificing yourself… you can still make it…"

"So can you Dave! We can both survive!"

"I'm sorry… I can't…" his voice grew quieter, his breaths, labored.

"Dave?!" Her voice was panicked.

"I'm sorry Jade…" he murmured, his eyes slid shut and his head slumped forward, body going limp.

"Auuugh!" She strained to keep a hold on his arm.

"Dave! DAVE! WAKE UP!" She pleaded as she felt him slipping from her grip.

"No… no! NO! NOOOOOOO!"

The rough scream tore from her lips as she felt his arm slip from her grasp. She reached out towards his falling body with aching fingers… then he disappeared into the blackness. She hung there sobbing and screaming '_no_' over and over, clutching onto the thin metal. Her body wracked with sobs and she gasped for breath, not seeming to take enough air in before coughing it out. Her muscles screamed in agony and she shifted her grip. The rig gave another shudder and lurched. She saw the metal she had been climbing rise away from her and she was falling… falling, falling, falling. Her black her whipped about her, arms reaching out as she fell, and the glow of the room faded above her. She whispered one word before falling into darkness.

"Dave…"

* * *

_So... yeah. Dramatic beginning! What is to befall our hero and heroine? Is it an endless fall to death? ...Or something else. ____*dramatic noodling of arms* More characters to be introduced in the next chapter and thereafter! _Please review, and follow to find out the next part of this tale. 


	2. Chapter 2

Her eyelids fluttered, and slowly opened. Darkness loomed above her as she stared blankly forward.

_'__I'm… dead…'_

_'…'_

**_'_****_No, you are not.'_**

Her eyes opened wide as she heard the response sound in her mind. A flash of orange in the corner of her eye caught her attention and she turned her head. A girl knelt next to her, dressed in brilliant colours. She had short platinum hair, a round face with a sharp chin, and wise, deep-violet eyes. She stared at Jade with concern…and curiosity. She held the strange girl's gaze as she felt something brush her consciousness again.

**_'_****_Are you alright? Can you speak?'_**

Jade blinked in surprise, continuing to stare at the girl. Was she... talking to her in her mind?

**_'_****_Yes, I am.'_**

At that, her mouth dropped open in surprise, a mental exclamation shouting in her head.

The girl winced at the mental shout, then reached out to gently touch Jade's arm.

**_'_****_Do not be alarmed! I am not an enemy.'_**

The voice in her head was a bit anxious, but gentle and reassuring. Jade relaxed; she trusted the voice for now.

"Am I…. am I dead?"

Her voice cracked a bit, and she cleared her throat.

**_'_****_As I stated before… no, you are not deceased.'_**

"Ok…"

**_'_****_Would you like to sit up?'_**

As if suddenly realizing she could move, Jade clenched her hands into fists, grinding dirt in her palms. Her hands stung in pain. She nodded and struggled to push herself up. The blonde girl reached behind Jade, holding her shoulder and back gently as she helped her sit up. Jade sat, still a bit dazed, as pain raced up her arms and shoulders. She wasn't dead, and probably not dreaming.

**_'_****_Certainly. You are neither deceased or sleeping. You are simply recovering from a bit of shock.'_**

Turning to the girl, Jade addressed her slowly.

"If… I am neither of those… where am I?

**_'_****_Mirabili.'_**

More blank stares.

"What?"

**_'_****_This place is called Mirabili. I know that you are incredibly confused. I can explain more once we move from here, and once you receive sustenance and healing.'_**

She glanced down at her dirty outfit, her left arm hung limply and throbbed in pain. This caused a jolt in her memory.

"Wait!"

She yelled out suddenly startling the girl who was turning to help her up.

"Dave! Did you see a boy down here?! He fell too!"

She began to look wildly about the cavern, attempting to rise.

"He's blonde. Carrying a sword. He's injured… and bleeding!"

Hands were placed on her shoulders, and the girl knelt in front of her.

**_'_****_Calm yourself. It will do you no good to panic at this time. Breathe, and still your questions. Yes, we did find this boy of whom you speak. He was discovered unconscious by my friend in a cavern similar to this. Rest assured he is being treated and cared for.'_**

The girl held her securely upright as Jade felt relief rush through her body. Her head ached from the swells of emotions, as well as her physical fatigue. Gently, the girl lifted her up, and the two rose to a standing position.

**_'_****_Come, we must get you in to recover. You will see him and everything shall be explained to you.'_**

Jade mentally complied to the statements, and walked with the girl, leaning heavily on her.

* * *

Jade awoke a second time, this time, feeling well rested and fresh. She blinked and sat up in the bed she laid in. The clean room was oddly decorated, and filled with books.

She turned at the sound of an opening door, and the blonde girl entered, followed by a dark haired boy dressed in blue tones.

**_'_****_How are you feeling?'_**

The telepath's voice in her head caught her off guard… again. She smiled in return after recovering from her slight surprise.

"A lot better." She tested her arms to make her point.

"Well, that's great!"

Jade turned her attention to the boy next to the blonde girl. He smiled wide and stuck out his hand.

"I'm John, it's nice to see you awake."

She smiled back, taking his hand.

"I'm Jade… and I'm glad to _be _awake!"

He shook it vigorously before releasing.

**_'_****_Forgive me for my lack of manners upon our first meeting. I did not want to overload you with information. I am Rose.'_**

Rose smiled warmly at Jade, bowing her head slightly. Jade returned the smile and spoke.

"It's fine. Thank you for saving me, I wouldn't-"

She stopped abruptly as her concern swelled again, and began to form questions when Rose interrupted her.

**_'_****_Calm your mind Jade. He is still recovering from his wounds, which have caused him to fall into a stasis. Perfectly normal for one who has lost blood.'_**

"But-"

**_'_****_Once he is awake you may see him. You are still recovering yourself. Running about would not help you at this time'_**

Jade looked at her with uncertainty…she wanted to see him _now_. And until he was awake? Who knows when that would be.

It was then that John spoke up.

"Hey Rose….Maybe she _could _see him sooner than that? I mean…after another nap or so?"

He glanced between the two girls feeling Jade's determination to see her friend and Rose's stubbornness to keep the patient in bed. Rose was pretty stubborn when she wanted to be.

Rose glared at him for a moment.

**_' _****_I am not that stubborn.'_**

John stood his ground, trying to use his big blue eyes to beg her for forgiveness, and-seriously-stop-being-so-stubborn-you-know-how- much-she-wants-to-see-him.

After a tense moment, Rose sighed and gave in. John's face lit up and he gave Jade a victorious grin before hugging Rose and thanking her.

**_'_****_But _****only ****_after another nap.'_**

Jade and John both nodded their heads in agreement, and Rose sighed again fighting a smile at the ridiculousness of the two.

**_'_****_You must have a small meal before sleeping.'_**

She turned and walked to the corner of the room where a small pantry was. Jade hadn't noticed in her glance about the room.

"I _am _kind of hungry…" she mumbled as her stomach gave a growl.

"Sounds like it!"

The two sat in silence for a bit while Rose prepared the light meal for Jade. During that silence, Jade took a chance to further examine the room she was in. From the ceiling hung glass orbs on intricate chains. Light filtered in through tall stained glass window of intricate workmanship, which was partially covered by oddly coloured drapes. It was the only window in the circular room. Various instruments, knick-nacks, and other objects of varying sizes were organized on tables that stood about the perimeter.

John noticed her gazing about and spoke.

"You have a lot of questions don't you?"

She turned to him, to see a grin. She smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah…I do."

"Well, so do we!"

He laughed and she joined him, finding it hard to resist.

"Are you a mind reader too John?"

"Noooo, I'm not. That's Rose's thing, since she's a Seer."

"A…Seer? Is that why she doesn't talk?" She asked John. "I mean…with her voice rather than her mind."

John looked at Jade then Rose before averting his eyes to the floor.

"Well…no. That's different. She's kinda cursed…so she can't talk."

"Kind of cursed..?"

**_'_****_To elaborate…' _** Rose projected to both of them from across the room, turning to face them. **_'In a series of unfortunate circumstances, and events that followed, my vocal speech was cursed; impairing me from cognitive oral communication. To put it simply, my vernacular is gibberish and cannot be understood by anyone. Luckily, I can still communicate using my mental abilities; else I'd be bound in silence or communication in written form.'_**

"Oh."

"Yeah…long story."

**_' _****_A story to be reserved for another time.'_**

Rose looked pointedly at John and placed the food in front of Jade. It was a simple soup with a side of crackers. Jade's stomach rumbled, and she felt her mouth begin to water.

"This looks really good."

"Rose is a pretty good cook! Eat up, sleep and then you can see your boyfriend!"

Jade almost spit out her soup, but managed to swallow the hot mixture and coughed.

"Uhm…he's not my boyfriend! Well…not really. But-" She sighed. "It's a long story…"

Great, now she was blushing.

Rose smiled secretively, knowing the story already since it was rolling through Jade's head at the moment. John stood awkwardly and tried to do some damage control.

"Oh. Sorry, Uh….What I meant was, you can see that boy…who _is _your friend. Yeah."

Jade winced at his effort but smiled anyway.

"Yeah…"

An awkward silence followed and John began to back towards the door, feeling that it was his time to go before his obliviousness to the situation caused any more embarrassment.

"So, uh…I'll see you later Jade! Rest up ok?"

To Rose he turned and projected his thoughts before exiting.

_'__I'm going to see Vriska…she's been acting kind of weird.'_

Rose nodded in response, **_'I will be with Dave, the boy, if you need me.'_**

The door closed with a soft thump, and Jade returned to eating her soup. Rose took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

**_'_****_I am off to see to Dave. I will be back in a few hours to rouse you to go see him. Rest well until then.'_**

Jade smiled and squeezed back.

"Thank you so much Rose. For this food and for helping us…I have a ton of questions to ask you about… well, about everything!"

**_'_****_And those will be answered in due time.'_**

Rose withdrew from her bedside with a farewell and closed the door.

When the door closed, Jade sighed and put her spoon down, feeling weary all over again. She tried to calm the spinning questions in her head so she could sleep. This was all so…weird. Granted she hadn't had the most normal life but this was just borderline…adventure fiction. She laughed to herself.

_ '__Just like one of grandpa's books.'_

She hoped things wouldn't become any stranger…at least until she got her bearings. And until she and Dave were fully rested and healed. Worry began to seep back into her mind again and she pushed it away for the time being.

_'__I need to eat and sleep. Worrying about him won't help anything right now. He'll be ok. Just a few more hours Jade and things will start moving forward again.'_

With determination, she finished her soup and set the dish aside. Laying back into the squishy bed, she closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep.

* * *

_Some more character intros for ya! To kind clarify Rose's situation, if she talks it's in her Grimdark Eldrich speech. The status of the ships in this story have yet to be determined, but will come to light as more are introducaed. Concerning DavexJade (one of my OTPs btw), as Jade said "It's complicated". Sooooo you will eventually find out the story behind THAT statement aaaand to why Dave and Jade were running and being chased in the first place. SO MANY THINGS FOR YOU GUYS TO PONDER OVER~_

_Bear with me, as the next chapter will be a little slow to come, I have 2 weeks left of school so for now that takes priority. Spread the story to those you think might like it and follow and review! (Reviews are lovely to get even if they are little quips or long rants. ;))_

_Thank you for reading!_

_-AR_


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